Elakanois
One of the great nations of northern Everique, the Elakanois dwell near the Sweet Seas, primarily to the north and east of Lake Elakais. To the east, the Elakanois are bordered by the colony of Aradie. The powerful Liranequois lay across the lakes to the south, while the Alinouek claim the lands to the west. To the north of the Elakanois is a dense fir forest that is claimed by no nation. The names given here, including Elakanois, are those of Japethan explorers. The Elakanois have their language, which is related to the tongue of the Liranequois, and their own names for themselves and their lands.
Elakanoia, the land of the Elakanois, is one of forests, lakes, and rivers. The Elakanois avoid the trackless woods and its clouds of biting insets, settling along the rivers and on the many large islands in the lake. Fish are plentiful in the lakes, and this is as far north as maize will grow. They have several large towns, but most of the Elakanois migrate every five to ten years when the fields give out.
The Elakanois is a loose confederacy of many smaller nations. They are joined by marriage, blood, and trade. There is no true ruler, and the nation is ruled by tradition and consensus among the individuals sachems and wisdoms of the nation. While this promotes internal harmony, the Elakanois are slow to respond to new challenges and opportunities. Their capital is Stone Beach on the banks of Lake Elakais.
After the arrival of Saronnan settlers at Sherbourg, the Elakanois sent a delegation to meet with the newcomers, led by Jaquet d'Artais. The meeting went well, forging an economic partnership, a military alliance, and a hundred years of peace between Aradie and the Elakanois. The alliance drew the Saronnan colonists into war with the Liranequois, the ancestral enemies of the Elakanois. Conflict continued for nearly a century until the Grande Entente in 1669.
The price of alliance has been higher for the Elakanois. Malignant spirits of disease came with the settlers from Japethe and found fresh prey in the Elakanois. The spirits have decimated the numbers of Elakanois, killing half the population through repeated epidemics. Elakanoia has shrunk considerably over the decades, as the natives abandon villages and hunting grounds their numbers can no longer support.
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